Soul Searching
by ImmortalWinchesters
Summary: *Lex hadn't grown up as a hunter like the Winchesters, but he knew the logical thing was to ignore the demon's offers. And if he was in any other situation he would have…* The Winchesters are in Smallville after Lex called for help getting out of a demon deal. But it won't be as simple as just convincing the demon who sold him the deal to back off. Sam, Dean, Clark & Lex centric.
1. I

**A/N: This story takes place in a universe where Clark, Lex, Sam and Dean have met. I will be writing a prequel on how that happened eventually! :)  
It is set between Crossroad Blues and Croatoan in Supernatural and Phoenix and Extinction in Smallville.**

**I**

Lex Luthor had gotten used to the long Smallville roads with the adjacent corn fields over the couple years he'd lived there. At this time of night, Lex couldn't see the corn next to him and he honestly didn't care either way. Corn was corn and it didn't get any more interesting gazing at the five hundredth time. Lex likely _had _been down this road five hundred times, as it was his usual route back to the mansion. There was a crossroads he would approach in a moment, where he would then turn left and continue on his way. Lex had a hectic day and wanted nothing more than to just get a chance to relax.

He had no idea what was going to happen before he got that chance.

Lex got to the crossroads at the moment he predicted he would. He hadn't however expected there would be a figure standing in the middle. He slammed his foot on the breaks of his car, which he had been driving extremely fast on the abandoned road. The figure turned to look at Lex. He was a boy in his late teens with messy blonde hair and wild eyes. He was holding a knife unlike one that Lex had seen before. It was bright green like the meteor rocks, making the billionaire assume that was what it was created from. The boy glanced down at the ground where another boy was on his knees breathing heavily. Lex had overlooked this boy before, but viewed him now.

When he realized who it was, a strong feeling of protectiveness coursed through his body. The boy on the ground was Clark Kent. It was the boy who was the closest and only friend Lex had ever had. But he was more than just that. Clark was like a little brother to Lex and the one thing keeping the darkness deep inside his heart at bay. If this psychopath was threatening Clark there would be consequences; and Luthor consequences were more than just terrible.

Lex stopped his car and stepped out onto the crossroads, making sure that he had a gun in his pocket before approaching.

"What's going on here?" He questioned.

Clark hadn't seemed to notice Lex before and the boy's head turned towards the billionaire after hearing his voice. "Lex?"

"Ahh, Lex Luthor. So nice of you to show up, I've been waiting for you." The teen with the knife said.

Lex started taking slow, cautious steps toward the psycho and Clark. "I don't live in the middle of the road. We could have just arranged a meeting at the mansion."

The boy snorted. "Don't you think I tried that? I couldn't get hold of you Luthor; and desperate times call for desperate measures."

Lex walked in between the boy and Clark, hoping to protect his friend from the psycho and his weapon. Clark had staggered to his feet but looked sick and was staring very uneasily at the meteor rock knife.

The boy looked Lex straight in the eyes. "What happened to Frederic Gullton?"

For a moment Lex had no idea who that was. Then he remembered the police questioning months ago. "I was in Metropolis when Mr. Gullton disappeared."

The boy exploded with anger. "The perfect cover for what you did! Frederic was last seen at his workplace, Luthorcorp Fertilizer Plant No.3. That leaves a lot of questions for you, doesn't it Lex? What did you do with Frederic?"

"I don't know why you assume that his disappearance is my doing, but I can assure you I have no idea what happened." Lex said calmly.

"He was my dad!" The boy yelled. "What did you do with my dad? Tell me the truth!"

With that statement, Lex knew what to say next, "When people disappear the ones left behind are left to fend for themselves. They sometimes get a little delusional because of how desperate they are to get the person they love back. I don't have the answers you're looking for."

Gullton rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure, make me sound crazy. I am not delusional! I saw him! I saw my dad a couple weeks ago in a Metropolis crowd, being escorted by other Luthorcorp employees. I lost sight of him, but… I know what I saw."

There were two explanations here: Frederic Gullton's son really was delusional or he was right and questioning the wrong Luthor.

"Have you considered questioning my father about this?" Lex asked, looking back to Gullton.

"You think Lionel did this?" Clark questioned. He was looking at Lex now and still seemed weak. Lex wondered what had happened to Clark and hoped that his friend wouldn't get any worse.

Lex looked Clark in the eyes and knew the boy understood his thoughts. Lex didn't know whether or not Lionel was really behind this, but seeing their current situation, it would be wisest to go with that explanation.

Gullton seemed to hesitate for a moment then his eyes widened with realization. "You think you can shift the blame? I _know _it was you!"

That hadn't been the realization Lex was hoping for. "Do you have any proof of this accusation?"

An evil smirk formed on Gullton's lips. "I have all the proof I need."

Lex was about to say something else when Gullton caught him off guard by swiping his knife across the billionaire's face. Lex tried not to react to the pain that had erupted on his cheek, because he would never give this boy the satisfaction. Instead he stood quiet for a moment before pulling out his gun. Clark was a couple feet to Lex's left now, looking slightly sicker now. He was staring at Lex with a bit of concern in his expression.

"You're going to know how it feels... To lose the person you care for most." Gullton said slowly, making sure his threat sank in.

Lex didn't take kindly to threats; he lowered the gun to Gullton's legs and pulled the trigger. To his surprise there was no loud blast. The gun seemed to be jammed, which didn't ever happen with his guns. He let his surprise get the better of him for a moment, which was probably the biggest mistake he had ever made.

In Lex's distraction Gullton jabbed his meteor rock knife into the billionaire's leg. Lex gasped in pain, not able to help it as he was stabbed. Gullton pulled out the knife as Lex fell to the ground. Gullton looked as if he was going to use the knife against Lex again, but Clark threw a punch against him before he had the chance. Although Gullton was hit, he already had a more powerful weapon against Clark.

Clark Kent was stabbed right through his stomach with Gullton's meteor rock knife.

"NO! CLARK!" Lex screamed, never before hearing such panic and despair in his own voice. Clark collapsed on his knees next to Lex and the billionaire felt like his whole world was crashing down around him. Clark was the only person in his life he truly needed. He was the person that helped him from turning into his father. He was his _brother_ and he couldn't die like this!

Anger boiled up in Lex as he turned back to Gullton, holding his gun out like it wasn't jammed. When Lex looked in his direction however, the boy was gone as if he had disappeared in thin air. In almost any other situation Lex would have been confused and try to understand what happened. But this _wasn't_ any other situation and he was relieved that Gullton was out of the way for now.

Lex, who pushed down any pain in his own leg, crawled a couple feet so he could be sitting in front of Clark. He immediately pulled out the knife in Clark's stomach, which was not only just made of meteor rock, but coated with green dust. Lex tossed the weapon as far as he could to his right. He then gripped onto Clark's shoulders to keep him sitting up and tried to look into the teenager's half-closed eyes. He moved one hand and touched Clark's wound, and when he looked at his hand it was covered in blood.

"Clark? Clark, you can't die." Lex begged, hating how helpless and broken he felt at the moment. Tears were forming in his eyes.

Clark seemed to hear what Lex was saying but didn't look able to respond. His eyes shut a little bit more, which wasn't a good sign to say the least. Lex took out his phone, which in the moment he had forgotten about. When he turned it on however it shut right back down due to a low battery. Could it have picked a worse time to need to be recharged?

"Clark…" Lex said desperately, like saying his name again might fix everything. Of course that was just a childish thought as it did absolutely nothing to help the current situation. He noticed that Clark had gotten limper. "Clark!"

Lex checked for a pulse and his blood ran cold. The whole universe seemed to stop at that moment. If the world were to end, Lex Luthor wouldn't have even noticed. What was left for him here anyways? Clark Kent was dead and it was Lex's fault.

Then Lex did something he hardly ever did; he started to cry. He couldn't help but let the tears stream down his face for the loss of his best friend. Lionel Luthor's voice scolded Lex in his mind, telling him that Luthors don't cry. But at this point he didn't care. Why not let the whole world see him in this time of weakness, bawling as he gripped onto his dead best friend's shoulders? It didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was that the person Lex cared about the most was dead in the middle of these crossroads.

"Clark…" Lex choked out again.

"Pity when people die isn't it?" An annoying, high-pitched female voice asked. "Looks like you were lucky that your friend died at this particular place."

Lex looked behind him to see a woman in a short black dress and long, wavy, dark hair looking at him expectantly. What was she doing here?

"What exactly are you doing out here in the middle of the night?" Lex questioned, his voice sounding less confident than it usually did.

She smiled mischievously and simply answered, "Doing my job."

Her eyes turned bright red, and then switched back to their normal colour in a couple of seconds.

Lex what this creature was and what she was trying to do. A couple weeks ago he had gotten a text message from Dean Winchester. Dean and his brother Sam were hunters of the paranormal, which Lex wouldn't have believed if he hadn't come face to face with black-eyed creatures himself. But the story on how he'd met the Winchesters wasn't important right now. The text Dean sent was a warning not to make "deals" with red-eyed demons at a crossroad, no matter how good they sounded. Lex had hoped that wasn't a real thing at the time, but now that he seemed to be face-to-face with one of them, there was no room left to hope for the situation to be fiction.

Lex hadn't grown up as a hunter like the Winchesters, but he knew the logical thing was to ignore the demon's offers. And if he was in any other situation he would have…

"Can you resurrect Clark?" Lex asked despite all the logic arguing not to make deals with demons.

The demon eyed Clark for a moment and then looked back at Lex. "I'm assumed you would wish this. It was the reason I came."

The billionaire let a little bit of logic slip through his lips. "What could you possibly have to gain from bringing Clark back?"

She smiled in a way that seemed genuine but was secretly evil and manipulative. "In ten years I'll need to come and take away something from you. That's all."

She made it sound like it was nothing, but Lex knew that _because_ that's how it sounded, it was probably the opposite. He didn't know what exactly the demon would come back to get in a decade, but he knew it would definitely be something big. It would probably be the stupidest thing in the world to agree to a deal with this devil.

"Come on Lex, do you really want to be alone in a world where no one cares about you?" The demon asked.

The quite obvious answer was no. Lex would start descending in a downward spiral if he didn't have Clark. He would keep spiraling down until he was actually worse than his father had ever been. He knew he was capable of being a lot more manipulative than Lionel Luthor if he let the darkness take control of him. It hadn't threatened to take over many times since he arrived in Smallville and that's why Lex considered the place home. It was safe and happy in this tiny town, and those are two of the things the young billionaire needed to feel. How would this place feel without Clark? How would it feel to rise in the morning and remember there is one less farm boy out there because of him?

"Don't worry about the consequences yet, think about the rewards. You'll have ten years that you can spend. You won't have to worry about anything; you don't even have to look into it if you don't want. You'll feel safer not knowing what's coming." The demon continued.

That wasn't convincing Lex that this was an intelligent idea to agree. However, there didn't seem to be hundreds of possible ways to bring back the dead.

"You don't want your brother dead do you?" She asked.

His brother… They weren't blood brothers, but Lex had a feeling that if he actually had a sibling by genetics they would have turned out to be rivals. Clark Kent was closer to Lex than any blood brother could be. In the billionaire's mind, someone you care about this deeply was a brother even if they weren't related. If Lex just let Clark stay dead, what kind of "older brother" would he be?

"What exactly do I need to do to seal this deal?" Lex asked, giving in to the demon's wishes against every intelligent cell in his brain. He tried not to think about how stupid he was by looking at Clark's limp body in his grip.

_ This was worth it._


	2. II

**II**

The demon motioned Lex over with her hand. He hesitated for a moment, and then carefully lowered Clark down onto the ground, as if the boy could still be hurt if Lex wasn't gentle. He stood up and looked at his palm which was covered in Clark's blood. Knowing that made him feel nauseous, and he quickly wiped the blood off onto his pants.

Lex walked over to the demon, limping because of the injured leg he had forgotten about completely. It hurt to walk on, but he didn't have any problem pushing that pain down. When he was in front of her, he stared expectantly, his heart beating fast.

"We seal this deal with a kiss." She answered.

That was completely ridiculous, but almost seemed typical. Lex hoped more than anything that this didn't turn out to be a horrible and sickening joke. He let out a deep sigh and leaned forward to kiss the demon. He felt pretty disgusted as he kissed her. He hated the idea of standing in the middle of a crossroads lip locked with one of hell's pets. When the two of them pulled back, the demon gestured to Clark.

Lex looked in that direction and his heart lifted as he saw Clark start to stir. He glanced back at the demon, but there was nothing but the cool air where she had been standing. He wasn't really wondering where she went. He figure that as a demon she would be able to leave as quickly as she appeared.

Lex turned back to Clark whose eyes had opened now. Clark looked confused as he sat back up on his knees, wincing as he did it. He then noticed his bloodied shirt and his eyes widened.

"Clark?" Lex said, like it was just a mirage in front of him.

Clark's head immediately snapped up and he stared at Lex with questioning green eyes.

The billionaire had never felt so relieved in his life. He felt like the world had almost ended and then against all odds started to spin again. Lex rushed over to Clark several feet away from him and fell down on his own knees in front of him. Lex wrapped his friend in an extremely tight hug that the teenager obviously hadn't expected. He didn't care how odd he must have seemed to Clark right now. He just wanted to hug his "brother" and know that he was alive and well. When Lex pulled away Clark looked at him carefully and his confusion switched to concern.

"Lex what happened?" Clark asked. "I remember throwing a punch towards Gullton and then this… white hot pain that felt worse than anything I could imagine. I heard you yelling and then…"

Lex felt lucky that he was good at improvisation because telling Clark the truth wasn't an option now. He tried to sound as convincing and confident as he could with the lies, "Yeah, Gullton sliced you across the stomach with his knife and you fell unconscious. After that he ran, I was going to chase after him but had to make sure you were okay. By the time I did that, Gullton was gone; he was a pretty fast sprinter."

Clark nodded slightly, looked down at where his wound had been and touched it. His fingers came back with a bit of the sticky blood that had moistened his shirt. He stared at the blood like it was completely foreign to him.

"I'm thankful that you're okay." Lex said, watching the boy carefully with a huge smile on his face. _Don't you ever scare me like that again Clark_.

Clark looked up and met the billionaire's eyes. "I am too."

"Come on, I'll give you a drive back to the farm." Lex offered.

Clark nodded and they both stood. That's when Lex noticed the pain that was erupting in his leg. He had pushed it down earlier, more concerned about Clark than any personal injury. Now however, with the worry washed out of him, he had a harder time not thinking of the pain.

They were only two steps towards the car when Clark noticed Lex's limp. His eyes widened with concern.

"Lex are you okay?" He exclaimed looking down at his friend's injury.

"I'm fine." Lex said, a bit of annoyance creeping into his voice.

Clark raised his eyebrows. "Is that why you're limping? We should get you to the hospital."

"I said I'm fine." Lex repeated more annoyance in his voice this time. _You were the one who just died Clark!_

The farmboy rolled his eyes, but didn't push the matter any further and continued towards Lex's car. Lex tried his hardest not to limp the last few steps and got in the driver's side of the car, as Clark got in the passenger's.

Before Lex started the car he had a question, "What were you doing on this crossroads Clark?"

He was silent for a moment before answering, "I knew that Gullton was coming after you."

Of course the reason Clark was there in the first place was to protect Lex. It was ironic that Clark had come in hopes of saving Lex and their roles ended reversing after the teenager was stabbed. This also meant that it had in more ways than one been Lex's fault Clark died. Guilt weighed on Lex despite the fact that he had just saved Clark's life.

"How did you get here? I don't see any car." Lex mentioned.

"I, uh, ran." Clark answered.

Lex stared at his friend incredulously. "You ran when you could have used a car? Not to mention it's the middle of the night and quite far from the farm."

"The car broke down, but I had to help my best friend anyway okay?" Clark said, annoyed. "Is that enough for you?"

Lex sighed, but didn't question his friend any further. He started the car and drove off in the opposite direction he was originally headed.

**-SUPERVILLE-**

When Clark Kent walked back inside his house his mom immediately greeted him at the door.

"Clark, where have you been?" She asked. Then she caught notice of the blood stained on his shirt. "What happened!?"

He sighed. "That's the thing. I don't really know."

"What do you mean?" Clark's father, Jonathan said as he approached. The same worry Martha had also in his eyes.

"There's this kid at Smallville High, Patrick Gullton, he went after Lex. I had to go help him." Clark said.

"How did you know he was going after him?" Martha asked.

"I heard him muttering about how Lex kidnapped his father. I followed him for a minute and learned he was going after Lex tonight. I didn't tell you because I thought I could quickly do something and get Patrick away with no complications, but…" Clark's voice trailed off.

His parents stared at him questioningly, obviously wanting to hear more.

"He knew somehow." Clark finally answered.

"Knew what?" Jonathan asked. "Tell me he doesn't know your secret."

"I don't know. He had a knife made of Kryptonite and he seemed to know that having it around made me weak." Clark said. "But I've been careful, there's no way he could have known."

Jonathan and Martha exchanged a glance.

Clark continued, "He started talking about how he knew that I was different and that I could never defeat him. I just told him I didn't think he should hurt Lex because he didn't do anything. I'm sure of that. He said that I was going to be used for a special purpose, a sacrifice. He brought me to my knees by how close he had the knife, and that's when Lex showed up…"

He paused for a moment before continuing, "Lex tried to reason with Patrick, but Patrick wouldn't listen and stabbed Lex in the leg. He looked like he was going to hurt Lex again, so I threw a punch at him and then I felt this white hot pain… I heard Lex scream my name and when I woke up, I was completely fine. Lex told me I was just sliced with the Kryptonite knife. But I don't believe that's what actually happened."

"Why not?" Martha asked.

"The knife was coated with Kryptonite. It would have gotten into my bloodstream even if Patrick just sliced me with it. I wouldn't be okay right now if that was the case. Somehow, I got hurt with that knife and came out fine." Clark answered.

There were actually two reasons Clark knew that Lex was lying about what happened. The other was Lex's reaction to see Clark awake. First, the billionaire had rushed over and wrapped him in one of the tightest hugs he'd ever receive. Then, he had stared at Clark with an incredible amount of relief that he didn't even look like he was trying to hide. And that's not all Clark had seen in his best friend's eyes. Lex also had a look Clark had never seen on him before. It looked like Lex had been crying. But that didn't make any sense as Lex would never show such a great sign of weakness. Even if he did, why would he have been crying if nothing incredibly awful had happened?

An impossible idea crossed Clark's mind: what if he had died? He thought about it seriously for a moment, before almost laughing. People couldn't be resurrected from the dead! That's not how life worked. When people, and even aliens, died, that was it. There was no coming back no matter what. There must be another possible explanation to the situation...

"Well son, the important thing is that you're okay." Jonathan said. "Why don't you get some sleep?"

Clark nodded and headed up to his room. He got ready for bed, and when he lay down he wasn't at all tired. He couldn't stop thinking about what had happened… How had he come out of that attack completely unscathed?

His personal dilemma wasn't the only thing he was thinking about either. He was thinking about Lex. His friend refused to go to the hospital when Clark suggested it, but he hoped Lex had gone anyway. Clark found himself smiling as he continued to think of Lex.

He remembered how he had felt when he had come back to Smallville after months of being Kal in Metropolis. He didn't even want to stay in this town because of how everyone he cared about must have felt about him. He had really messed up things with Chloe and the amazing and beautiful Lana Lang too. Clark had also cost his parents their baby and despite them trying to convince him to stay, the guilt didn't leave him. And that wasn't the only thing he felt guilty about…

Clark was warned that there would be consequences if he didn't listen to Jor-El, and after the loss of his unborn sibling he thought that was it. He hadn't expected the plane Lex was in to crash and that he would be declared dead right before Clark returned home. It was another one of the reasons Clark didn't want to stay. It wasn't the same being in Smallville without Lex. He hated the feeling he had when he thought Lex was dead. Clark remembered feeling so guilty and sad that whenever he thought about the billionaire he was almost in tears.

Then against all odds Lex had returned to Smallville, alive and well. Clark was happier than he had been in months when he saw his friend "back from the dead". Lex had mentioned about facing his dark side on the island he was stuck on. Clark, didn't like Lex talking about that, and in an attempt to comfort him, said that everyone had to face their dark sides sooner or later. In the process Clark ended up comforting himself too. After that, he started to decide he wanted to stay in Smallville. If not for Lex he wouldn't be here right now.

Clark wouldn't be able to bear it if Lex were to disappear and be declared dead again. Lex was more than just a best friend; he was like the older brother Clark had never had. And it was the younger brother's job to look out for the older brother just as much as it was the older's job to look out for the younger.

**-SUPERVILLE-**

Lex had ended up going to the hospital after all. Once he got Clark home safely the pain in his leg became almost unbearable. He decided that visiting the hospital to get his leg better would be a smart move. And since his intelligence was on and off tonight, he went with that and drove to the hospital. They got his leg fixed up, but there were questions. Lex told them that the son of Frederic Gullton attacked him. A lot of times, Lex wouldn't rat out a kid for attacking him and would take matters into his own hand. But this time, the billionaire would do anything to get this boy behind bars. Gullton actually deserved worse than that considering he'd killed Clark.

The thought still made Lex's heart sink. He tried not to dwell on the terrible moment before the crossroad demon showed up. When Clark was resurrected and his eyes opened again, Lex's world was back to normal. He was going to visit Clark in a few days, hoping to see the boy smile, laugh and just be alive. Lex felt content just thinking about it.

Now however, he needed to make a call. He needed to get the ten year deal problem solved. Lex hated that he didn't know what he had just given the demon and hoped to figure it out. He also needed help figuring out how to get out of his side of the deal if it was bad.

He turned on his now charged phone and scrolled down the contacts until the name "Dean" was highlighted. Lex hoped for the best before hitting the dial button. The phone rang three times before it was picked up.

"_Hey, billionaire!"_ Dean's voice exclaimed. _"How's it going in farm town?"_

"I wouldn't be calling unless it was absolutely necessary to ask this." Lex said. "I need your help."


	3. III

**III**

Dean and Sam were in a crappy motel room in Kansas. It seemed like the Winchesters spent more than half their lives in rooms like this one: uncomfortable beds, ugly wallpaper and carpet, some gross things hidden in corners and a miniature TV with terrible cable. Yet because of how much time they spent in places like this, they got used to it. No motel room was ever too different. Even if there was one that was extra clean, nice or more expensive, it still gave off a similar aura.

The Winchesters were also in-between hunts; they had researched for hours trying to find something else but had no luck. Dean and Sam had just eaten dinner and were now chatting about a dumb movie that had just played on the TV.

"Say whatever you want Sammy, but that movie sucked. There is nothing in it that gives it even a slight amount of "okay" quality." Dean said.

"Oh come on Dean! It was one of the best movies we ever saw with such little choices for channels!" Sam argued.

"I never said it wasn't! It was actually slightly less crappy then the usual movies we see on TVs like this. That however, doesn't make it _good_." Dean mentioned.

"I never said it was _good_, I said decent." Sam pointed out.

"Yeah, of course you did …" Dean said sarcastically.

Sam looked like he was about to argue further when Dean's phone rang. Dean pulled it out and checked the caller ID. A small grin slid across his face.

"Guess who's calling?" Dean asked.

Sam looked intrigued, but before he could ask, his older brother picked up the phone.

"Hey, billionaire!" Dean exclaimed into the phone. "How's it going in farm town?"

"Is that Lex Luthor?" Sam asked.

Dean hadn't been expecting a call from Lex Luthor today or anytime soon. He had only talked to Lex a couple times since he had met him in Smallville months ago. The meteor-infected town had seemed very suspicious and Dean and Sam went to investigate. They learned it was the meteor rocks affecting the people and not any supernatural creature they hunt. Except for the one case that it _was _a paranormal creature, coincidentally when the Winchesters came. It was a pretty hard hunt, but they had accomplished it with the help of Clark Kent and Lex Luthor.

Dean had heard weeks ago that Lex had been declared dead. Him and Sam had been pretty shocked and might have even attended the funeral if they hadn't been on the other side of the country. It turned out Lex was still alive but stuck on a deserted island for a few months. Dean and Sam were pretty happy when they heard that and they had even called Lex to talk to him for a bit. That was the last time Dean had spoken with him and he wondered why Lex was calling now.

"_I wouldn't be calling unless it was absolutely necessary to ask this." _Lex said, sounding very serious.

The billionaire paused for a moment, before admitting something that sounded hard for him to say, _"I need your help."_

That knocked the grin off Dean's face. "_My _help_? _What did you do?"

There was a short pause before Lex answered, _"I made a deal with a demon. I just need to know what-" _

"You did, _what_!?" Dean interrupted. "I specifically told you _not_ to make deals with demons!"

Dean saw Sam's jaw drop from the corner of his eye. "Lex made a deal?"

"_I know. I remembered the message." _Lex said.

"You did? And yet you thought that it would be a genius idea to go through with a deal anyway?" Dean exclaimed, not even trying to keep the anger from his voice.

"_If I had been in any other situation I would have taken your advice!" _Lex told him.

"Oh really, and what was this situation where you just _had _to listen to a demon?!" Dean asked.

"_It was Clark!"_ Lex yelled, getting angry himself now. _"Clark died on a crossroads and a demon showed up! I couldn't just leave him there dead, Winchester!"_

Because of that explanation, the fury increased inside of Dean. Dean's dad had made a deal for him and he hated it so much. He felt guilty every single day and the idea of making deals to save someone felt personal. Dean could only imagine how Clark would feel if he learned about this.

"You're lucky we're in the same state right now so we don't have to drive for days to get to Smallville." Dean said bitterly. "We're coming to get you out of the deal."

"_You don't have to come to Smallville. I can handle this on my own. Just tell me what I promised the demon and how to get out of it." _Lex said.

"No you can't handle it alone. You'll be lucky if we can get you out of this!" Dean yelled. "You just sold the demon your soul! If we can't help you, in ten years you'll be burning in hell."

With that he hung up the phone and gave an exasperated sigh.

"He made a deal for Clark didn't he?" Sam asked. "What happened?"

"Kent died, Luthor sold his soul and we're going to Smallville." Dean answered.

-SUPERVILLE-

Dean had barely said a word to Sam since he announced they were heading back to Smallville. Sam knew how much Dean disliked people selling their souls for someone since they learned about crossroads demons a few weeks ago. The reason for that being that their dad had very likely sold his soul to get Dean back on his feet after the car crash. Sam knew that Dean had taken their dad's death really hard, but he was basically back to normal until learning about crossroads demons. Since then he had been a little more sad, angry and to himself.

Sam and Dean had finally had a good time when they were sitting in the motel room watching a crappy movie. Then after Dean had gotten the call from Lex Luthor it went right back to silence. Dean was clearly pissed at the billionaire for making a deal, because Sam knew he was relating this back to their dad. Sam couldn't stand the idea of John Winchester in hell either, but he knew getting angry at others wouldn't solve that problem. Dean however, had taken this personally and was easily able to empathize with those who were going to lose people they love to hellhounds.

When Sam heard Dean asking Lex why he would ever sell his soul, Sam had his suspicions. They were confirmed when Sam saw his older brother's reaction to what Lex had said. The younger brother knew from the first time they were in Smallville that Clark and Lex were close. Sam didn't find it too hard to believe that Lex would sell his soul for Clark in a situation where he had no other choice. Even though Lex didn't know exactly what he was doing, Sam suspected the billionaire would have gone through with it anyway.

And that's what scared Sam. He couldn't help but think about what would happen if something were to ever happen to Sam on Dean's watch. At the current time, Dean was completely against deals but Sam couldn't help but wonder how Dean would feel if the he was faced with going to hell himself or leaving Sam dead. The younger brother was a fighter and wouldn't be letting anything get the upper hand over him, but it only took a few seconds…

Thinking all of this really bothered Sam, so he pushed it out of his head and tried to make conversation.

"I didn't think we'd be headed to Smallville again anytime soon." He mentioned.

"Neither did I." Dean said bitterly.

"I was hoping the second time we wouldn't have any problems to deal with…" Sam said.

"And I was hoping Lex would actually listen when I told him about crossroad demons. Guess that town doesn't fulfill any of our wishes." Dean countered.

"Maybe another time we can return on better terms." Sam suggested.

"I don't know if I ever want to see Lex Luthor again if we can get him out of this deal." Dean replied.

Sam tried to not blame Dean for being bitter; he did have a good reason for being so. However, Sam didn't think Lex deserved all of this anger from Dean. Sure, the billionaire sold his soul which was terrible on several different levels, but they could probably get him out of it. The Winchesters had helped an innocent man get out of a deal before after all.

"We can get him out of it Dean." Sam assured his older brother.

"You and I getting Lex out of his deal doesn't change the fact he made it." Dean pointed out. "The fact is Luthor was okay with making stupid deals if he could save his friend. His reasons are selfish! Clark would be better off dead than alive and knowing Lex is going to hell because of him!"

Sam sighed. "Dean you have to stop blaming yourself for Dad. We're not even completely sure if he made a deal."

His older brother laughed bitterly. "Oh yes we do! It's all my fault Sammy, and you can take these deals lightly if you want but for me it feels a little personal."

"I know it hurts you seeing people make deals Dean, but that doesn't mean you have to hate Lex." Sam reasoned.

"I don't hate Lex Luthor." Dean argued. "But the two of us didn't exactly get along great the first time, and this doesn't make things any better between us!"

Sam remembered how the two of them had been during their first encounter. Dean and Lex had been very suspicious and untrusting of each other. By the time Sam and Dean left Smallville though, the two were on better terms with one another. Sam also didn't think he had imagined the small look of relief on Dean's face when he learned Lex was alive a few weeks ago.

Sam and Clark had been on better terms then the other two. They hadn't been too untrusting of one another and it didn't take them long to get along. By the time the Winchesters left Smallville Sam and Clark were friends. Sam suspected that Clark had a secret, but didn't push the farmboy on giving it away because if it was incredibly personal there wasn't a clear reason he would tell it to a demon hunter he had just met.

"Dean…" Sam started, the thought popping back into his head. "If something ever happened to me-?"

"Sammy, not now okay?" Dean interrupted. Clearly knowing what Sam was about to say and not wanting to think about it anymore than his younger brother.

To avoid further conversation Dean turned up the Led Zeppelin cassette tape that was currently playing. The rest of the drive was spent with blaring classic rock music filling the Impala and no more conversation.

-SUPERVILLE-

Clark didn't really know what to do with himself after he woke up. He ate breakfast and then completed his chores like usual and afterwards just settled with staring out the window in the barn's loft. There wasn't any school today, Pete was out of town and Clark wasn't on the best of terms with Lana and Chloe. The past few days, Clark hadn't been struggling to find something to do because he just went over to the mansion and spent time with Lex. Either that or Lex would come over and the two would spend time around the farm. Clark's relationship with the billionaire was actually at its best lately because they both hadn't seen each other in months and Clark's parents had practically welcomed Lex into the family.

Clark didn't feel like he should go over to the mansion today however. After whatever had happened last night and Clark not trusting Lex's explanation, it felt weird to go and see his billionaire friend.

He had settled for that excuse for a while, but was now started to get annoyed with it. If Clark ever wanted to learn what happened he was going to have to ask the only person who was there throughout the whole thing: Lex. Clark knew he could trust his friend and didn't know why Lex was lying about the situation. He was now determined to find out.

Late afternoon, Clark left the loft, told his parents he was going over to Lex's and headed out in his family's truck. He was only driving a couple minutes when he started tapping his fingers on the wheel anxiously. He started to go just a little bit faster as his feeling started to change. Something was wrong; he knew that much. Something terrible had happened last night and Clark needed to find a way to learn what and help out in the situation if he could. Clark knew that this whole thing wasn't over yet.

When he finally arrived at Lex's mansion he noticed another car parked there. He didn't think much of it as he got out of the truck and took a few steps towards the mansion. Then out of the corner of his eye, Clark got a better look at the other car and he stopped in his tracks.

The other car was a classic and sleek black in colour. If he remembered correctly it was from 67' and was an Impala. He knew whose car that belonged to and what came with their first visit to Smallville.

Something definitely had to be wrong; because Sam and Dean Winchester, hunters of the supernatural were back. And Clark had a feeling they had come due to his billionaire best friend's request.


	4. IV

**IV**

The Winchesters had only arrived at the Luthor mansion a few minutes before Clark had. Dean was muttering complaints about how they'd had to drive for hours just to "save Lex from his stupidity" as they walked towards the mansion.

"Lex Luthor is so stupid…" Dean mumbled. Sam rolled his eyes as Dean continued to criticize the billionaire under his breath. Sam just hoped Dean wouldn't lash out on Lex too badly when they saw him face-to-face.

Within a minute the Winchesters were being led to Lex's library by one of his guards. Sam continued to wish they were returning on better terms as they walked down the hallways. This place was just as huge as Sam remembered. He wondered what it would be like to be a billionaire. What would living in a place like this be like? What would, at the very least, having a home feel like? The youngest Winchester once again let his fantasies of a normal life fill his head. He never wanted to be a hunter. He wished that he could get out of it all soon…

Before Sam could continue to dream further, the guard opened the door to the library and gestured for the Winchesters to enter. Lex was sitting at his desk when the brothers entered. He closed his laptop, stood up and walked around the desk, leaning against the front of it. Lex nodded to the guard who closed the door, leaving the three of them alone in the library.

"I'm assuming this is a very bad situation because you really did drive all the way here." Lex said after a few moments of silence.

Dean raised his eyebrows. "Yeah, well _I'm _assuming you heard what making a deal with a demon means. I did tell you at the end of our conversation."

"The revelation that in ten years I'll be burning in hell did stick in my head." Lex said. "Have you helped someone out of one of these deals before?"

"We just learned about them ourselves a few weeks ago. But, yes, we did help someone out of a deal, only barely. And doing that had made the crossroad demons hate us for sure. Blackmailing them again to let _another_ person out of a deal may not be an easy task." Dean explained.

Sam watched the two of them talk to each other. They both had a slight anger and annoyance to their voices and seemed to have put their guards up right after they caught sight of one another. Dean and Lex definitely didn't get along very well and though it may seem like the two of them hated each other, Sam knew that wasn't it. And it wasn't just because Dean said so. The look in their eyes suggested dislike and disagreement, but not hatred. Sam especially knew in Dean's case as he'd seen hatred for people in Dean's eyes and this definitely wasn't it. Sam was actually surprised Dean hadn't -

"What were you thinking when you made that deal!?" Dean yelled angrily.

- lashed out against Lex yet. So much for that thought…

"I think you give yourself too much credit for being intelligent Luthor!" Dean continued, taking a couple steps towards Lex. "Because listening to a _demon_ was just complete stupidity! Complete stupidity that I now have to come and fix at your request! Here's something to think about: Next time you need our help because your life is in jeopardy, we're not coming!"

Lex was silent for a moment before saying with bitterness in his voice, "If I ever needed help again I wouldn't even bother calling. I could probably find a better, more dependable hunter than you."

_That is not helping. _Sam thought as he watched the situation unfold.

"Good for you. Maybe _they'll _actually careabout saving your ass, because I don't. I'm not here for you. I'm here for your friend." Dean said.

"What are you talking about?" Lex asked.

"Clark; the kid who is going to blame himself when you're in hell. Did you even think about how Clark might feel about this before making this deal?" Dean questioned. "Do you have any idea how guilty and sad he'll feel about this?"

"I don't regret making that deal Dean." Lex informed him. "You can't make me regret it either, because I couldn't let my best friend die. Even with the knowledge of what a deal with a demon means, I would likely have proceeded with it anyway."

"You're selfish, you know that?" Dean said. "A completely selfish bastard."

Lex's face was filled with more anger as he walked in front of Dean. "At least I'm not a hypocrite."

"A hypocrite?" Dean repeated, sounding amused.

"What would you do if Sam were to die?" Lex asked.

Sam's heart skipped a beat. He couldn't see Dean's face since he was standing a couple feet behind his brother. He wondered what was going through Dean's mind after Lex asked that question. _Would my brother sell his soul for me if I were to die?_

The few moments of silence seemed to satisfy Lex. "My actions aren't too different than what yours would have been, Winchester."

"This isn't about me." Dean reminded Lex. "This is about you and Clark. What I would do in the situation doesn't matter right now."

"It does if you're calling me out against a deal I made, that you would have made quicker than I did if Sam were dead." Lex countered.

"Sam's not dying." Dean said, sounding extremely angry.

"That's what I thought about Clark." Lex pointed out.

Lex raised his eyebrows, seeming completely annoyed with the older Winchester. Sam could sense how angry that his older brother was. There was only a beat of silence after Lex spoke before Dean threw a powerful punch across the billionaire's face. There was a bit of blood dripping out of Lex's nose, but if he was in pain, he didn't show it. Lex punched Dean right back with as much force the older Winchester had used on him.

Knowing that wouldn't be the end of it by Dean's raised fist, Sam rushed over to the two of them. He pushed Dean and Lex away from each other and held them both back. "Stop it! This isn't solving _anything_!"

Dean and Lex stared at each other angrily, but didn't try to punch each other again. After a moment, Sam lowered his arms, but kept a careful eye on both of them in case they were to lash out again.

"What are you going to tell Clark?" Dean asked.

"I'm not telling him anything. We're solving this and I'm putting it behind me. Even if I don't get out of this deal, I'm keeping it a secret." Lex answered.

"Yeah, secrets... That's going to help your friendship." Dean said sarcastically.

"You think telling him would be a more sensible solution?" Lex questioned.

"I don't think you should have sold your soul to bring Clark back to life in the first place!" Dean exclaimed.

"Lex did _what_?!" A voice exclaimed.

The Winchesters and the billionaire directed their attention to where the voice came from. Standing at the door, looking panicked and confused, stood Clark Kent.

_Clark isn't going to take this very well. _Sam thought, giving the farmboy a small, sad smile.

**-SUPERVILLE—**

**_Minutes ago…_**

Clark stood frozen in front of the Winchester's Impala for another moment, before sighing and looking at the mansion.

_Lex what did you do?_

Expecting the worst, Clark headed over to the gate and squeezed between the bars. He didn't have time to make it known that he was there. He rushed into the mansion as fast as he could without actually super speeding. Since it didn't seem like a life or death situation at the moment, Clark didn't see the need to do anything that risked his secret.

Clark arrived outside the library doors and opened one of them a crack. He saw Lex, Dean and Sam standing in the middle of the room.

Sam was pushing Dean and Lex apart yelling, "Stop it! This isn't solving _anything_!"

Had Dean and Lex been punching each other? Clark grew confused. The two of them hadn't been on such good terms last time, but they didn't seem like they would go at each other like that. But here the two of them were with bloody noses and very clear anger with each other. They would likely still be punching one another if Sam wasn't there. Clark mentally thanked Sam for playing peacemaker as the younger Winchester cautiously lowered his arms.

"What are you going to tell Clark?" Dean asked Lex.

Clark froze at the mention of his name. What exactly was it that he needed to be told?

"I'm not telling him anything. We're solving this and I'm putting it behind me. Even if I don't get out of this deal, I'm keeping it a secret." Lex answered.

_Lex what did you __do__?! _

Clark had no idea what this talk about a deal was, but it definitely didn't sound good. Neither did the fact that Lex was planning on keeping it all a secret from Clark. And without even knowing the situation he knew it wouldn't be simply solved so easily.

"Yeah, secrets... That's going to help your friendship." Dean commented sarcastically.

Clark felt his heart fall a little. Even if Clark learned of this situation, there were still secrets between him and Lex. Lex didn't know that Clark was an alien from a planet called Krypton and Clark's parents never want him to tell the billionaire either. But the young Kryptonian wondered it would be like if he did tell Lex about his powers and origins. Clark wished that there were no secrets between him and his best friend, but that didn't seem like it was going to happen. Even though Dean didn't say it exactly, he was right; secrets had the potential to put a huge strain on their friendship.

"You think telling him would be a more sensible solution?" Lex questioned.

Clark continued to peer through the door and listen to the conversation. He hoped that maybe he could get the answers to his questions before going in. Lex didn't seem willing to tell Clark otherwise after all…

"I don't think you should have sold your soul to bring Clark back to life in the first place!" Dean exclaimed.

Clark's blood ran cold. That was what happened last night… He had… He had…

He threw the double doors to the library opened, "Lex did _what_?!"

Sam, Dean and Lex all looked to the door in surprise, obviously not expecting the sudden outburst. Clark stood still, feeling so panicked and confused he couldn't seem to process full thoughts on the situation. Sam looked at Clark and gave him a small, sad smile. Clark only wished that he was in a situation where seeing the younger Winchester here would be a good thing.

"He brought you back to life." Dean answered after a long moment of silence.

"Last night on that crossroads… I _did _get stabbed and I died. Lex, you told me I was just sliced and fell unconscious! What exactly did you do?" Clark exclaimed.

"Like I said before when you were snooping behind the door: Lex sold his soul." Dean replied.

Clark looked at Lex, who was trying to avoid eye contact with the farmboy.

_ Lex sold his soul for me… _Clark wasn't even aware you could sell your soul in the first place. Considering however, that the Winchesters were here, it was clearly a supernatural related creature that pulled this off. But what happened now?

"Lex… What's going to happen to you?" He couldn't stop the anger and concern he felt from creeping into his voice.

Lex locked eyes with Clark and sighed. "In ten years, I'm going to hell."

Clark's eyes widened. "What!? H-How does that work? Is a demon just going to show up at your door and drag you down?"

"Hellhounds…" Sam muttered, looking down at the floor.

"What?" Clark questioned.

"I'm sorry Clark…" Sam apologized. "It's hellhounds… They'll come to… To kill Lex."

"Lex, what were you thinking!? How could you make that deal!?" Clark demanded, his eyes growing misty. Clark's best friend was going to hell... For him.

"You were _dead_!" Lex exclaimed. "It was all my fault and I couldn't leave you like that! A demon showed up and the terms of the deal were unbeknownst to me. However even with the circumstances of my actions, I would repeat the "sin" again, with full knowledge of what I was doing."

That didn't help to comfort Clark at all. "Did you think about _me_ before you made this deal?! Did you think about how I would feel when I realized what you'd done!?"

"Clark." Sam said, walking over to him. "That's why Dean and I are here. We're going to help Lex. We'll get him out of this I promise."

The look in Sam's eyes was so genuine that Clark let himself believe the younger Winchester's words. Clark wiped away the tears forming in his eyes before they could fall.

Dean walked over to the two of them. "Come on Sam, let's get on that."

Sam nodded and the Winchesters headed out of the room, leaving Clark and Lex alone.

"Clark I'm sorry." Lex said.

"But you're not!" Clark argued. "You said you'd make the deal again, knowing the consequences!"

"I couldn't live with you dead. You're the only person still in my life, who really cares about me. With my three months on that island just behind me, without you I may have…"

"What?"

"I may have lost my mind. I need you Clark." Lex admitted.

"Did you ever think that maybe I need you too?" Clark asked, angrily. "Did it occur to you that now _you're_ going to be dead and it will be _my_ fault!"

"I-" Lex started.

"No! Stop defending yourself! I don't want to hear it Lex. Just…" He paused. "Send Sam over to tell me what happened when they come back."

Clark turned around and started to leave the room.

"Clark!" Lex yelled.

But the farmboy wasn't turning around...

At the end of the hallway, Clark leaned against the wall and took a deep, shaky breath. He hoped that the Winchesters would be able to save his friend, because if they didn't…

A new feeling erupted in Clark. If the Winchesters couldn't save Clark, then that was that. The Kryptonian would take every single one of hell's pets on to save Lex; even if it meant revealing everything…


	5. V

**V**

Dean waited until they were out of the mansion before confronting Sam. "What was that?"

"What was what?" Sam asked innocently.

"You know what I'm talking about." Dean answered. Of course the topic was how Sam comforted Clark and convinced him everything was going to be alright. Dean however, didn't know if that was the case. He had no idea whether they'd be able to get Lex out of the deal or not and he didn't want Clark to be given a false reason for hope.

"Dean, I needed to calm him down. He didn't exactly take the news that his best friend was going to hell well." Sam said.

"I know he needed to be calmed, but why did you promise him that? You know all too well that there's a chance we may not be able to save Lex. What are you going to tell Clark if we can't do this?" Dean asked.

"I won't be telling Clark we can't do this, because we're going to solve this problem. I'm not leaving this town until everything is okay again." Sam responded.

Dean looked at the determination in Sam's eyes when he spoke. He realized then how much Sam truly liked Clark. The two of them weren't too close, but were friends and held a respect for each other. This only from the first time the Winchesters were in Smallville and the couple times Sam had called Clark.

"Okay, let's solve this problem then." Dean agreed.

Sam nodded and the two of the got inside their black 67' Chevy Impala. Dean started the car engine and the brothers headed off to the crossroads.

**-SUPERVILLE—**

"You must think you've really got an advantage, huh?" The crossroad demon asked. She put her hand on her hips and shook her head like she was amused.

"Well you're the one in the devil's trap, not me." Dean pointed out, gesturing to the painted trap the demon was encased in. At the back of his head though, he wondered why he and Sam had tricked the demon so easily.

"I assume you want something. I'll never give in to your demands, but I can't help myself from being curious." The demon said.

"This is about Lex Luthor, he-" Sam started.

"Ahh, so that's it…" She interrupted. "You want me to let poor Lex-y out of his contract. I suppose you're going to threaten me and that's supposed to make me give in right?"

"We _will_ exorcise you here and now if you don't let him out of the deal." Dean answered.

The demon started to cackle. "That's it? You think just saying that will make me listen? Do you know how long I've wanted to get my hands on the son of Lionel Luthor's soul?"

"We don't care how long you've wanted this!" Dean exclaimed. "We'll let you go free if you listen, or-"

"You'll let me go free? Yeah, I'll believe that when pigs fly, darling."

"Sam, go for it."

On Dean's command, Sam started to recite the Latin exorcism. The younger Winchester had already memorized most of it, but held a piece of paper that had the whole exorcism on it just in case. Dean himself had barely learned the first couple words and sometimes had trouble pronouncing some of the Latin. So naturally he gave this responsibility to his younger brother, who had immediately agreed.

After Sam had read a good chunk, he stopped and exchanged a glance with Dean. The older Winchester tried not to look stressed out, but he felt it. By this time, the demon would usually start to show signs of being exorcised, however this demon hadn't even flinched. She had a smug smile on her face like she knew why this was happening. Dean wished he had confidence about him and Sam's plan.

"Keep going." Dean encouraged.

Sam nodded and continued to recite the exorcism; he focused his full attention on the paper now. Dean took it as a sign of his brother being unsure of his memorization and a loss of confidence. Again, when Sam read on, the demon didn't move.

When the younger Winchester finished, the demon still stood her ground, completely fine and definitely not budging.

"Surprised?" She asked.

Dean was about to make a comment, but wasn't given the chance.

"Well now that you boys can't do anything, I'll tell you what happened here. Last night Clark Kent died because of a plan that _I _had constructed. Lex sold his soul thinking he had ten years when really… The hounds are coming for him in a week."

Sam and Dean exchanged a glance, both tried to look calm about this, but their minds were racing.

"Isn't that against the rules?" Sam asked.

The demon laughed. "You think I play by the rules? That's cute Sammy…"

She then surprised the brothers once again by walking right up to them. That wouldn't be a big deal… If she hadn't walked out of the devil's trap to get there.

"See you boys." She said and before either Winchester could say anything she was gone.

Both of them looked around, searching to make sure she had really just disappeared. When they were positive she was, both looked to the same place: the devil's trap. Dean examined it carefully, looking for any flaw that could have allowed the demon a way out. After a couple minutes of this, the realization that there weren't any flaws dawned on them.

"How can a crossroads demon escape from a devil's trap?" Sam asked. "I didn't think they were capable of doing that."

"That's because they're not Sammy. It was only a couple weeks ago when I trapped another crossroads demon in the same thing. Not only this, but I was listening to your exorcism and I don't think you messed up."

Sam looked down and read over the sheet. "Maybe not… But what would that mean?"

"Guess this is a stronger demon than ones we've faced before. Don't worry, we'll find her weakness…"

"But Dean, didn't you hear? She's only given Lex a week. I want to succeed very much, but do you think we'll be able to save him?"

"We will. We've faced things much worse than a rebel demon with a contract on someone who needs saving. We'll figure it out, just like we always do."  
Sam nodded and the two of them headed back to the Impala.

"But Sam…" Dean said, before they got in. "We shouldn't tell the kid about this."

The younger Winchester sighed. "Knowing how he reacted when he found out Lex was going to hell in _ten years_ I feel like I should agree, but… What good will this do him? He obviously wants to hear the truth about all of this, so we should give it to him. Clark needs to know the progress."

"I don't think-"

"I'm perfectly capable of comforting him if he needs it. And I think he'll believe me if I tell him we _will_ save Lex."

Dean sighed, "Fine, just don't convince the kid we have a plan yet, because right now… I don't have any clue how we're getting Lex out."

"Then why are you so sure we can save him?"

"Because we're the Winchesters, which means that because of all our bad luck, there's bound to be good luck and hope out there."

**-SUPERVILLE-**

The Winchesters walked into the mansion's library to find Lex focused completely on his computer screen. He looked at it like it was supposed to give him answers, but had only created more questions.

"Hey, Luthor, are you going to acknowledge our presence?" Dean asked bitterly.

Lex looked up and blinked, like he hadn't known Sam and Dean had arrived until they had spoken.

"Where's Clark?" Sam asked.

Lex's expression grew sadder, "He decided that he didn't want to be around me. He asked for you to go tell him how the confrontation unfolded."

Sam nodded and asked for the address of the Kent farm. After Lex wrote it down and passed it to the younger Winchester, Sam left the mansion. Dean almost groaned at being stuck alone with Lex Luthor. The billionaire just got up, walked over to a table with alcohol and filled himself a glass of scotch. He stopped for a moment before pouring another glass. Lex walked over and handed it to Dean.

Neither of them said or did anything for a moment, and just stood awkwardly. Dean didn't like the awkward silence, so he decided it was as good of time as any to give Lex an explanation. Lex looked relatively calm through the story and didn't interrupt Dean as he spoke. When Dean finished he looked at the billionaire and waited for a response.

"Do you think you'll be able to save me in a week?" Lex asked.

"Yes." Dean answered, trying to sound confident about the answer.

"I'm sorry for dragging you and Sam into this." Lex said after a moment.

The older Winchester didn't want to accept an apology. "Are you, Luthor?"

"I am, but it's obvious you don't believe that's the case."

"You knew you were going to need our help when you made the deal. Did you feel sorry you were going to ask then?"

"I honestly wasn't thinking about it at the time Winchester. I had a dead best friend to save." With that, Lex took his first sip of his scotch. Dean realized this was because the memory of Clark dead was painful for him.

Just for a moment, Dean imagined how he would feel if Sam were to die. Worse, what if Dean had to listen to his dad and kill his brother? No; that wasn't going to happen. There was no way Dean could kill his brother, no one, not even his dad could make him do it. Still, the thought was enough to make Dean take a sip of the alcohol. He had never tasted any that had been this expensive before and the taste was most certainly better than the cheap alcohol he buys.

"Without Clark, I would have been alone." Lex said. "I won't go into detail on my troubled childhood and issues with my dad because I know you won't care. However Clark is my only friend, actually he's more like a brother... Without him I feel like I'd go off the deep end."

"He's the person that keeps you going." Dean realized. "That keeps you from feeling isolated, rejected and lonely in an unkind world. The only person that you can really depend on, no matter what occurs."

"You sound like you know the feeling." Lex pointed out.

"It's kind of the same with Sam and me. I didn't have an exactly normal childhood, growing up as a hunter. My dad was constantly going away and treated us like soldiers a lot of the time. Sam ran off to college years ago and created a life for himself while I was stuck hunting. Not that I don't enjoy it, but it wasn't the same without Sam there. When I got him back, despite our dad being missing, things almost felt normal again. I think I'm a better person with him around." Dean explained.

Lex gave him a small smile and nod. The older Winchester realized that the billionaire could relate to quite a bit of what he'd said. The two of them, who seemed quite different, had something big in common: a little brother they deeply cared for.

"I think I'd do anything for Sam." Dean said, without thinking. He didn't mean to let those words slip out his lips as it would obviously give Lex an argument. The words were true as well, which meant Lex could accuse Dean of being a hypocrite and… he'd very, very likely be correct.

However Lex didn't accuse him of anything. "I'm pretty sure I'd do anything for Clark."

There was a beat of silence. "It seems that we can relate to each other in some ways Dean."

"Yeah, I guess so billionaire." Dean agreed.

The two of them clicked their glasses together and both took another sip of their drinks. Dean still deeply disliked that Lex made a deal and was very against the idea. But he knew that there wasn't any point in hating Lex for it and causing conflict over the fact. The deal was made and it was his and Sam's job to fix it. Dean actually felt a newfound determination to save Lex. Maybe someday the two of them could hang out and discuss Sam and Clark…

Dean gave Lex a small smile, which obviously satisfied the billionaire. The two of them slipped into another silence, but this time it was a comfortable one.

**-SUPERVILLE-**

"What happened? Did you get him out of the deal?" Clark asked.

The question had come out of his mouth the moment they were in the barn and away from Clark's parents' earshot. Sam already felt guilt build up inside of him. He wished the problem of Lex's deal would just disappear and he could bring the kid good news.

"Listen Clark-" Sam started.

"What went wrong?" Clark interrupted, sensing what was coming. Unhidden worry and concern crossed his face.

Sam explained what happened to Clark. When he got to the revelation that Lex only had a week, Clark couldn't help himself from interrupting.

"One week?! Do you have any leads? Any plans?" Clark questioned.

"Dean and I have dealt with situations much worse than this as hunters. We'll be able to get Lex out of this deal. It may come close to the deadline, but there is no way that he is going to Hell. I guarantee you it's going to be okay." Sam answered, giving Clark a comforting smile.

For some crazy reason that Sam didn't understand, Clark seemed to believe him. For a moment, Sam felt glad he was his friend and able to comfort him, then he realized it wasn't all what he'd said. Clark had a determination hidden in his eyes that Sam recognized. Clark was ready to risk everything to save his friend and he seemed to feel like he himself could save Lex. Sam knew of course, that the teen alone couldn't save the billionaire, but he wasn't about to take Clark's hope away.

"I'm going to come with you back to the mansion. The four of us can figure out a plan together and find a way to save Lex." Clark said.

This was the part where Sam should have told the kid that he shouldn't worry and let the three of them handle it. That's what anyone else would have done, told him to stay out of it and that they'd keep him updated. But Clark didn't want to just be updated, he wanted to be a help in saving Lex. Sam couldn't help but put himself in Clark's shoes. If Dean were about to go to hell, he would for sure want to help even if everyone told him not to and there was seemingly nothing he could do.

Sam nodded. "Okay."

"Really? You're agreeing just like that?"

"It wouldn't be fair of me to try and leave you out of this."

"Thanks Sam."

"No problem, that's what friends are for right?"

For the first time since Sam had seen him again, a smile spread across Clark's face.


End file.
